Search

An organism's anatomy is the result of millions of years of interplay between DNA sequence, developmental processes, the environment, and evolutionary forces. The anatomical sciences are consequently highly integrative and interdisciplinary. That said, reaching across all of the relevant disciplines can be a daunting task because scientific publications are produced today at an astounding rate. This manuscript brings together insights from the quantitative genetic analysis of dental variation into the study of human evolutionary odontology within the context of genomics, genetic modularity, and phenomics. It primarily advocates the use of quantitative genetics to not only identify QTLs, but also to assess the patterns of genetic covariance that underlie phenotypic covariance, thereby enabling us to conceptualize phenotypic variation as a reflection of the underlying genetic mechanisms. By highlighting three phenotypes of importance within the study of human evolution (patterning of the dental arcade, enamel thickness, and taurodontism), it is demonstrated how an integrated consideration of quantitative genetics, genomic analyses, and paleontology can bring us to more detailed hypotheses about the evolution of the hominid clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excavation and field survey at Ballachly, Dunbeath, Caithness in 2007-10 produced evidence which suggests the existence of a possibly early medieval and later Norse site centred around the hillock known as Chapel Hill, on top of which is located an, as of yet, indeterminate unicameral stone building. The site, already well-known for its Early Christian inscribed stones, lay within a substantial stone-walled enclosure of late medieval to early post-medieval date, possibly constructed to enclose an undeveloped burgh of barony, thought to be Magnusburgh, which was reported to have been licensed in 1624. Although most of the enclosed area did not yield evidence of occupation, two separate areas at the base of the hillock produced evidence for medieval industrial activity, including ironworking and a cobbled possible working surface. This activity post-dated a palaeo-channel, possibly reused as a ditch, and substantial stone wall, forming a possible boundary enclosure, whose lower-lying area has since been heavily disturbed by flooding and subsequent agricultural activity. Evidence of the sites association with an early monastery was not substantiated, though the site's character still suggests a former centre of some importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the Getic of the Carpatho-Balcanides (eastern Serbia) and the Tirgan Formation of the Kopet-Dagh Basin (northeast Iran), platform carbonates were deposited during the Barremian/Early Aptian in environments in the domain of the northern Alpine Tethys and deformed during the Alpine orogeny. In this study, Urgonian carbonate platform deposits are discussed in detail with regard to depositional facies, microfacies, biostratigraphy, palaeoenvironments and palaeoecology. Detailed sedimentological and palaeontological investigations have been carried out on five sections in eastern Serbia and three sections in northeast Iran supported by an analysis of 392 thin-sections. Petrographic analysis of thin-sections led to the recognition of eight microfacies types grouped into four facies zones. A supratidal–intertidal (restricted)–intertidal (open-lagoon)–platform-margin sand-shoal transition was recorded in both areas. Supratidal facies are characterized by bioclastic mudstones and fenestral and peloidal wackestones and packstones; intertidal (restricted) facies are represented by bioclastic wackestones, whereas intertidal (open-lagoon) facies are indicated by bioclastic packstones/grainstones and oncoid grainstones. High-energy sand-shoal facies are dominated by ooid grainstones/rudstones followed by orbitolinid packstones. Benthic foraminifera are especially abundant and along with calcareous algae are the most important fossils used for age determination of shallow-marine carbonate deposits. Thirty-two benthic foraminiferal genera were identified from eastern Serbia with an additional 38 genera from northeast Iran dominated by agglutinated forms. Identified calcareous algae provide significant data for depositional environments and palaeoecology. The microfossil associations in the two regions are very similar and share a number of common characteristics, but also some differences and show a strong affinity to those of the northern margins of Tethys. In both study areas shallow-marine environments of the Barremian/Early Aptian were replaced by deep-marine conditions during the Late Cretaceous. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cave sequences provide some of the most important archives of Palaeolithic archaeology that are currently available. The potential value of such sequences is, however, frequently limited by the problems associated with constructing robust chronologies for archaeologically significant levels. In this study, we apply 230Th/U and OSL SAR techniques to the dating of deposits from the Calcareous Group at Grotte des Pigeons, Taforalt, eastern Morocco. The advantage of combining these techniques is: 1) they allow the cross-checking of chronologies derived from independent sets of measurements and assumptions, and 2) they date different facies of cave sediments (i.e. clastic cave sediments as opposed to cave precipitates such as speleothems) allowing the timing of deposition by different cave processes to be constrained more robustly. The age estimates derived by these techniques from different sampling locations are in good agreement with one another, suggesting the potential of these techniques when used in tandem for producing more robust chronologies of Palaeolithic sequences. The deposition of the Calcareous Group is placed within the middle to late part of MIS 5 (MIS 5c to 5a). Furthermore, the Bayesian analysis of the dates derived in this study along with those that have been previously published, allows the duration of deposition of this unit to be estimated at 25.4 ± 3.7 ka (mean ± 1σ). The paper concludes by discussing the significance of these ages for the archaeology of the Taforalt sequence. We suggest that the collection of samples for multiple independent dating methods in direct association combined with the use of careful, stratigraphic constraints in Bayesian models results in the most robust dates available for such cave sequences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report SHRIMP zircon ages for felsic volcanic rocks of the early Archaean Nondweni greenstone belt (NGB) located in northern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The NGB is part of a chain of greenstone belt remnants that occurs south of the well-known Barberton greenstone belt (BGB). Two samples of felsic volcanic rocks of the basal Toggekry Formation yielded zircon ages of ~3.53Ga, whereas significantly younger ages of ~3.41Ga were obtained for two samples of felsic rocks from near the top of the Witkop Formation. The latter date now constrains the age of stromatolite-like structures in cherts associated with the felsic rocks, which probably represent some of the oldest preserved evidence of life on Earth. The zircon ages also indicate that the NGB correlates well chronologically with the BGB and is one of the oldest volcano-sedimentary successions in the southeastern Kaapvaal Craton. Geochemical data for the felsic NGB rocks suggest formation by partial melting or crystal fractionation of a mafic source that was contaminated by older crust, possibly in a back-arc environment. Initial εNd values for NGB rocks range from −1.2 to +0.3 and suggest involvement of pre-greenstone continental crust that was possibly extensive in the southeastern part of the Kaapvaal Craton during Palaeoarchaean times. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Archivo de Prehistoria Levantina is the property of Museu de Prehistoria de Valencia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The site of Corondó, situated in Campos Novos, in the São Pedro D'Aldeia municipe (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil), was dated between c. 4000 and 3000 years BP. The high prevalence of dental caries in its population suggests that it might have been a locus of plant cultivation, a hypothesis supported by the presence of diverse plant remains and by the high frequency of grinding artefacts at this site. Anthracological analysis aimed to identify the environment of the site. The charcoal spectrum suggests that it was situated in a restinga forest, near to the Atlantic forest and with the presence of mangrove and open restinga in the environment. Firewood supply was probably obtained by the random gathering of dead wood. The combination of anthracological results with data provided by archaeological and bioanthropological research indicated that the population which constructed this site (1) had a relatively stable sociocultural system; (2) carried out a range of individual activities that remained constant throughout the occupation period; (3) lived in a relatively stable environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archeologists use artifacts to make statements about occupants of a physical space. Users of information resources leave behind data-based artifacts when they interact with a digital library or other Web-based information space. One process for examining these patterns is bibliomining, or the combination of data warehousing, data mining and bibliometrics to understand connections and patterns between works. The purpose of this paper is to use a research framework from archeology to structure exploration of these data artifacts through bibliomining to aid managers of digital libraries and other Web-based information resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental impact assessments in the United States usually contain an element dealing with impacts on 'cultural resources.' This element is often very limited, addressing only archeological sites or historic buildings, and often addressing even these only by deferring attention to them until after key project decisions have been made. A number of US laws, and good practice, demand a broader and more effective approach. Such an approach is outlined here, following the organization of a typical chapter in a popular university environmental impact assessment textbook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]